"Fear is your best friend or your worst enemy. It's like fire. If you can control it, it can cook for you; it can heat your house. If you can't control it, it will burn everything around you and destroy you. If you can control your fear, it makes you more alert, like a deer coming across the lawn."

^ I guess that didnt work the way I intended. Basically the higher numbers are now, while the lower numbers are what I started with. With that said.

January 4th 2010

Deadlift Warm Up

Deadlift work set
300 1 x 2

Note: I was next to a mirror, and i started to notice my back doing the same thing my Uncle said it was. So I lower the weight and ask a friend to watch if it does it again

275
1 x 1
Note: He notices it too, he suggests I wait for the Powerlifting Coach and ask him what he thinks.

Does another set of

255
1 x 2.

The coach shows up, I do

255
1 x 3

He said that my lower back was in perfect posistion that just my upperback was rounding a bit and that I shouldnt worry about it. He said something along the lines of, thats just how some people can deadlift, others people can do near perfect form all the time and that what I what doing was normal. I asked him if i should lower the weight. He said "You don't have too, your lower back was perfect". He also recommended that since there is a Powerlifting meet comming up Feb 11, That I should do 5 x 5 for the next few weeks, then 5 x 3, Then test my max and a week before the meet, I don't lift at all.

So then I did

255lbs
4sets 5 reps.

Then I did my mobility drills and side planks. And I didn't have time for front squats. And Powerlifting was canceled today. So I'll fit them in Thursday if I can.

In any case I need to see these deadlifts for myself. Maybe you could load up your bar at home with whatever you have. I don't know how much weight you have but maybe if you put everything you got on the bar. And set it on phonebooks and magazines or whatever to get the bar to the right height. That should be around 8 and 3/4 inches off the floor I think. And make sure the bar is more or less level (which is why I suggested magazines to use to level up the two ends).

It's funny because Jamie Hale just sent me a study where someone did a kinematic analysis of the deadlift versus squat (to see if the squat helps the deadlift) but they did it during competitions. And concluded that the deadlift was primarily a senquential lift. Which is complete bullshit but if you looked at only competitions you might get that idea. The funny thing is these guys thought the lifters "meant" to do that. So my first reaction was, WTF? And here you ask tell me, my hips rose first and my back rounded. Obviously there is a difference sometimes between what happens and what you are trying to make happen!

In general you haven't been doing enough volume on your deadlifts. You've been doing the minimum of volume and adding on weight so that it looks at this point as if 300 represents close to your max ability. 5x5 is a little much for deadlifts and 5x5 reps are not "magical". But you should be working with more volume. Once I know what is going on I will make more specific suggestions.

There is no reason why most every rep you do should have your back rounded. Your height is part of it but there is never an excuse not to improve. I don't understand your coaches suggestion that "some people can't do it with good form" or whatever". I don't even know what that means. But that would have led me to the question "Why do I need a coach, then?" lol

I dunno….I was thinking if he started with something relatively easy and used that as a base to progress by adding reps to each set - sort of how you had me do with 385. I used 385 for quite some time:
Weeks 1-4: Consolidation cycle using 385
Weeks 5-8: Tried to do more and more reps with 385. Started off with 385x4x2 and ended up with 385x6x3

What do you think?

Mark Twain:
"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover."
"If you tell the truth, you don't have to remember anything."
"Never put off until tomorrow what you can do the day after tomorrow."

Well I just realized what happened is that I had told Nate to practice deadlifts honeymoon style using 3 reps or so and then I got to busy to keep up with it and he has just went with that and stuck to these very low volumes, etc…

That's why I need you guys to help me out here and why I need you (Nate) to communicate with them when they say something to you.

So anyway that's all more advanced than he needs. There's not point to it right now. He needs more exposure and he needs to build up more buffering mass for the real heavy loads to come.

I would start with a comfortable base volume of around 3x5 reps and then allow up to 8 reps and 4 to 5 sets in terms of volume. The first week or two should be spend actually honing in on the weight rather than just picking a weight.

Mark Twain:
"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover."
"If you tell the truth, you don't have to remember anything."
"Never put off until tomorrow what you can do the day after tomorrow."

Yes, 3 sets. I always write sets first reps second. You want the base volume to be concrete. So while you would use a range of reps while you progress your "base" would be a set volume of sets and reps. That way, when you go back to that base volume but with more weight on the bar you've progressed. Of course, if you do MORE volume with more weight than what you started with that's progressions as well, lol. But you need a benchmark you can hang your hat on and that is easy to proceed from.

One of the things about SDT is that if you start with a moderate volume, and then progress in whatever way which includes adding sets and reps, you always have that option of dropping down the volume to the base volume while adding weight. So that gives you a built in natural deload plus representing a milestone. And then you can proceed again.

One of the things about SDT is that if you start with a moderate volume, and then progress in whatever way which includes adding sets and reps, you always have that option of dropping down the volume to the base volume while adding weight. So that gives you a built in natural deload plus representing a milestone. And then you can proceed again.

Very true.

But for the 3 x 5. Can the fourth and fifth sets be higher weight but lower volume? or should I keep the weight the same?

Well don't do stepped sets just to do stepped sets. That is, everything should be fairly loose until you are in there doing it.

Now lets imagine a situation.

You got 235 on the bar and you have a base volume of 3x5.

So you get in there and you do:

235 x 5 x 1 set

You could have added reps to that but while you were doing it you felt like it was just TOO light, right? So you stop at 5, and add weight.

So you do 240 x 5 x 1 and that is demanding and fairly close to failure. Take a rest…

240 x 6 x 1 (this time you new you had 5 more in you but you surprised yourself with a 6th rep).

That would be a fairly typical scenario and just the kind of thing you'd expect to happen. Since you started with 3x5 but then added weight and added one rep, technically that is double progression. There is no rule that says you have to do it with every set. In fact there are no rules as long as you progress.

In fact, as soon as you impose rules it stops being what I've described and starts being a "program" right?

Heck, you could add a set of two if you felt you had that. Still legit.

For the next workout you might start with 240 and go from there. So you can always add weight…at any time. And you can always add reps…at any time. And you can always add sets….at any time. It's really a reactive way of training. Best not to have any more than a loose plan of attack.

On the other hand, with a three rep set I wouldn't drop the reps down on the last set, or the last two sets, just to add weight. Better to keep with at least the base volume and add to that while possible adding weight.

Because when you dip the volume…what is likely to happen is you just slow down progression. Depending on how much the volume drops, the added weight may not represent that much progression. That is why the idea of having a base volume is important. Look at it this way…it you can do 235 for 15 reps, is it really such a big deal to do 240 for say, 10 reps? What happens next workout? You dip the volume again? Or you hit 240 for 15 maybe?

Let's imagine two scenarios, each representing two workouts. Two workouts don't mean much, of course, but for our purpose of description it's better to keep it simple:

First scenario:

Workout One: (weight x reps x sets)

235 x 5 x 1 (not too hard, not too easy)

235 x 7 x 1 (got easier….)

235 x 7 x 1

Added reps to two sets…single progression

Workout Two:

235 x 8 x 1

240 x 5 x 1

240 x 5 x 1

double progression

Second Scenario (your scenario of adding weight to last sets but dropping volume)

235 x 5 x 1

240 x 3 x 1

245 x 2 x 1

First of all..it doesn't seem like a big deal but from the first scenario the volume has dropped by almost 50%! Half. Now for a very advanced trainee…and I mean very advanced…adding 5 and then 10 pounds to the bar can be a huge deal in itself. But a very advanced trainee wouldn't have been ABLE to do it and he wouldn't really be training this way with primary movements that much.

Workout Two A:

240 x 5 x 1 (oops…shit hard)

235 x 4 x 1

235 x 6 x 1

Not really as good as the first scenario. Why? Dropping the volume back helps the most after you have built up more volume and built up a bit more fatigue. Best case scenario is you've even added weight and volume. Then once you drop back to base volume, even with a little added weight, you are, in effect, getting a break.

But if your volume is low to begin with, dropping it lower just to add weight may not be an advantage. It's possible of course, for it to be just the right thing to do. Say you haven't been getting your sleep or eating quite right. That little break on volume may be just the thing, even with added weight, to spur you on to new heights. But it's not predictable and it makes basic progression too difficult to allow such fluctuation in volume and intensity. I.E. it starts to resemble weekly undulating periodization and for a beginner that is just silly. Well I think it's silly for most anybody, lol, but that's just my humble opinion.

Or if you did in a very straght-forward fashion it would start to look like short linear periodization. Again…not my cup of tea.

So to sum it up…try to maintain at least the base volume. Dipping a little below that is perfectly ok sometimes but do not make a habit of dropping volume to add weight. Not with SDT that is.

So basically its subjective to how one is feeling. As long as I get around 15 reps in the first 3 reps (being the minimum). The weight needs to be consistent unless it is greater or equal to what one starts with on the first set. Any set you add to the base is progress, any extra reps you add on the base sets and further sets if you choose to proceed is progress, and any weight you can add to any sets while maintaing the basic 3 sets of 5 reps is also progress.

Assisted Pullups (Other person holds my legs and assists yet making sure not enough so that i can struggle)
2 sets till failure (Holding the top posistion at the very last rep then slowly decending and letting go)

Didn't want to attempt OH Squats do to me working upperbody yesterday, So I will do them over the weekend with vids of this and deadlift.

Pushups
1 x 13
1 x 7
1 x 3

SG Ham Raises
1 x 12
1 x 10
1 x 5

Mobility Drills.

Notes: I had a pretty intense game of two on two (basketball) before hand, as well as 21 and One on One at lunch (Not normally I play this much basketball anymore, but im pretty competitive). I didn't think it affected my workout too much though, although I was sweating pretty hard beforehand.

Deadlift videos
(I might have had the bar elevated too much but the problem is that the big black weights you see at the end, have a hole bigger than what the bar is, and if i were to put it on books or magazines, it would surely roll off. But it might be enough to show you what im doing_

Second deadlift link doesn't work. Was there more? I could use a few more reps to be sure. The bar does look high but I think I can tell enough. It's a little bit of a setup problem and a little bit of a technique problem. Looks pretty typical to me but nothing is happening that is alarming. Needs to be sorted out so that you can continue to progress and it doesn't become a problem. Little problems that don't seem like a big deal at first in an exercise are like building a 1000 foot tower. At the bottom - the beginning - of the tower, you might be just the tiniest bit off plumb. Just a minute little angle. But at the top you have a big old leaning tower that looks like it's about to fall over (check with Joe on that analogy, lol).

At the bottom - the beginning - of the tower, you might be just the tiniest bit off plumb. Just a minute little angle. But at the top you have a big old leaning tower that looks like it's about to fall over (check with Joe on that analogy, lol).

After much thought I have verified that the analogy is correct.

Just to drive it home. What do you get when you take a leaning tower, and put a bunch of weight on the top? A busted tower is what you get. Don't become a busted tower, Nate. :)

The strength trainee says "Why sacrifice intensity when I can sacrifice volume"
The bodybuilder says "Why sacrifice intensity when I can sacrifice form"

"We are not sport, when there is a sport issue, we are not so good. The boxer is much better than us at boxing. But he will have to protect his balls if he wants to punch us."

Is the tower a metaphor for my OH Squat fail. All i remember is that the bar may have been going backwards, and i my shoulder was twitching, I didn't even remember my leg kicking out till i watched the video.

So [SDT] basically its subjective to how one is feeling. As long as I get around 15 reps in the first 3 reps (being the minimum). The weight needs to be consistent unless it is greater or equal to what one starts with on the first set. Any set you add to the base is progress, any extra reps you add on the base sets and further sets if you choose to proceed is progress, and any weight you can add to any sets while maintaing the basic 3 sets of 5 reps is also progress.

I think im understanding it more each more i read it.

Yeah you're getting it. Except "feeling" isn't really the right word. If we say feeling it's like giving people permission to walk into the gym and say "I'm not feeling it today…I think I won't do anything." OR, "I feel like shit, I won't progress today." Something like that. Those days really do happen of course but the way you feel at the beginning is not necessarily the harbinger of a bad workout.

There isn't a perfect word but a better one is "react". So it is how you are reacting to initial sets that determine how you proceed. Or, how you are progressing. Hey, there's a concept. Using how you are progressing to determine how to progress.

Other than that, the only thing I can add at this point is that 3x5 reps is just the base we settled on for you, given your experience and comfort level. It could be a bit more or a bit less. All depends on what came before and how you arrived at the base.

There is a link to a post at the gustrength blog in there somewhere as well which is chock full of info.

Is the tower a metaphor for my OH Squat fail. All i remember is that the bar may have been going backwards, and i my shoulder was twitching, I didn't even remember my leg kicking out till i watched the video.

No biggie. You handled it. Take the socks off! Just go barefoot or wear Chuck Taylors or even One Starts from Target (or similar). Or use some kind of grippy socks. I just realized you may be wearing different footwear between school and home…or wearing shoes at school but not at home. That can throw you off a lot. Need to be consistent in what footwear you lift in.

I can see you are working the HELL out of your OH squat depth. Good job!

Alright, Im going to add some Romanian deadlfits and Kneeling Squats. A question though, should I let them replace deadlifts for a few weeks or should I it in?

Editing in for remembering

1. Stand with your shins about an inch from the bar with about a hip width stance or slightly wider depending on what works best for you.

2. Look down at the barbell and imagine that there is a vertical line coming up through it so that the line of the barbell is part of an imaginary plane. The barbell and this imaginary line is your reference point or benchmark. You will use this to orient your body to. Remember this if for visualization purposes only.

3. After you grab the bar you will bring your shoulders in front of the bar so that the imaginary line intersects you scapula. In other words, the bar is in line with your scapula. Keeping your shoulders forward of the bar in this postion bring your chest up and shoulders back and locked. Scapula retracted.

4. Hips/Butt: Now that your feet are in the right place and your shoulders are in the right place the trick is to get your hips as close to this imaginary LINE as possible while maintaining your shoulder position. You are NOT bring your hips down toward the bar..you are bringing them forward toward the line coming up through the bar. WITHOUT moving your shoulders back.

All the while the chest must stay OUT and the shoulders back. The lower back must remain in it's tightly set natural arch

Back felt pretty sore. Probobly with the added volume days on deadlifts recommended by the coach. It just felt sore and a little funny on the way down while squatting. I wore a belt my last set just so I could complete the squats. It agrivated my back a little more afterwards so I decided to take things lightly. I could barely do any SG Ham Raises so I just did some mobility drills and called it a day.